Come Back To Me
by deessedelune1
Summary: CHLEX Lex is gone, and Chloe wants nothing more than to have him back. COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Come Back To Me

AUTHOR: deessedelune

EMAIL: deessedelune@yahoo.com

DESCRIPTION: Lex is gone, and Chloe wants nothing more than to have him back.

RATING: R

DISCLAIMER: I own none of these people. I just like to borrow.

She was living in a ghost town.  

At least for one day.  

It was amazing that for someone so hated, he drew a whole town and more to his own funeral.  Perhaps it was because the townspeople really wanted to witness the fact that Lex Luthor is finally dead.

It had been ten days since they found his plane and nineteen from when it supposedly crashed into the Atlantic.  Twenty since she had warned him that he was making a grave mistake in marrying the seemingly sweet doctor.__

_"Do not marry her, Lex," she asserted.  "Her allegiance does not lie with you."  
He swiftly turned to her.  "I know that already," he gritted.  "But it's the only way..I need her."_

_"Why must you insist that this is the way it should be?" she replied, almost pleadingly.  "There are other ways, Lex.  I could.."_

_"No," he declared with no hesitance.  "No way in hell."_

_His tone fueled her anger.  "It's me or her, Lex.  You can't have us both."_

_"I don't have her," he lashed out.  "Don't you understand that this is all business for me?  I'm doing this to protect you..to protect us!"_

_"Is that what you tell yourself when you screw her at night?" she quickly retorted, rendering Lex speechless._

_Sensing an opportunity, she continued.  "No more arguments," she said.  "I will talk to Lionel tomorrow about our deal.  If you proceed with the wedding, you're on your own."_

_With that, Chloe Sullivan left the manor._

That was the last time that she had seen him_._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer in Chapter One_

Five more days until her birthday.  And her friends never failed to remind her as it drew closer.

Everyday, Clark, Pete, Lana and even her father took turns trying to cheer her up.  Especially Clark. 

Clark had come back from his misadventures in Metropolis, regretful of the things he has done on his last day in Smallville.  He has apologized repeatedly to everyone, and he has reconciled with Lana, who forgave him, in Chloe's opinion, too easily.  

Out of guilt, Clark had made a point of doting on Chloe.  Platonically, but the doting had Chloe's patience wearing thin.  The last thing she wanted was for someone to be breathing down her neck.  Especially when she just wanted to be left alone.

None of them really knew the reason behind her self-imposed emotional exile from them.  Eventually, they assumed that working for Lionel Luthor just started to break her spirit.  They had pleaded for her to quit, but between her adamant refusal and their perception of his power over her, they knew that they had a snowball's chance in hell.

In reality, she was very ready to leave LuthorCorp.  Working for a despicable man like Lionel infuriated her to no end.  Knowing his connection to Lex's death fueled that anger, but she also knew that it is also the reason why she should endure her days with the man whom everyone considered as the devil.

And the fact that he trusted her more than anyone else was almost laughable.  He had her doing research after research on Clark, the cloning projects, meteor rock incidents and anything else that he wanted kept from his own people.  

It was her pretend diligence and smooth manipulation of the data reports that won him over several months into their "deal".  Chloe always knew how to balance what to tell him and what to hide from him.  After all, she couldn't just waste all of the tutelage she received from the master of outwitting Lionel Luthor.

"Oh, Lex" she whispered to herself.  "If you were only here to see how close we are to our dream.  Your dream."

"Chloe?" a voice called out to her, breaking her reverie.  "You alright?"

She silently sighed in frustration.  "Hi Clark."

"What's wrong?"  he asked, sitting himself across from her.

She shook her head.  "Nothing."

"Are you sure?" he prodded.  

"Yes, Clark," she said, fighting the urge to snap at the oblivious farmboy.  "I guess you just caught me thinking."

"About your birthday?"

'Here we go again' she thought.  "Sure."

Clark's face brightened at her reply, oblivious to the sarcasm.  "Have you thought about what you wanted?"

'Augh.'  "Um, not really," she replied half-heartedly, looking around for a way to escape this line of conversation.  When Lana came out from the back of the Talon, an idea came to her.  

"Lana asked me the same thing earlier, and I told her the same answer.  Which is why you caught me daydreaming.  Just trying to find you guys some ideas." She faked a smile.

"Oh, okay, I guess I'll let you think about it some more." Clark accepted her response without hesitation as he turned back to Lana.  "Looks like Lana needs my help.  Let me know if you thought of something, okay?"

"Sure, Clark."

After he was a good distance from her table, she let out an "augh" that she had been holding back.  Sensing that this just wasn't her scene today, she made her way outside and to her car.

But before she could drive away, a sob escaped from her body, opening the Pandora's Box of tears and pain.  Only then did she realize one important thing.

She knew what she wanted for her birthday.  She wanted nothing more in this world than to have her Lex back.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

_Disclaimer in Chapter One_

They were good childhood friends.  It was a well-kept secret, even from their own families.  Of course, everyone was aware that they knew each other, but as far as they were concerned, Lex Luthor and Chloe Sullivan were acquaintances.  After all, they were five years apart; what could they possibly have in common?

But no one took into account that they were both outsiders.  Bullied and isolated because they were different in appearance and abilities, they were fishes out of water in their own worlds.

Those worlds finally collided when Gabe Sullivan had to bring his daughter as he applied for a job at LuthorCorp.  Despite being told to stay put, she decided to explore the halls to see if she could find the devil as her classmates claimed to be living in the building.  She was trying to be stealthy, making like her favorite sleuth Nancy Drew.

Right as she was turning into the corner, her stealthiness proved itself useless as she crashed into the chest of a rather tall teenager.

"Ow," she quietly winced.

"That's what you get for being in the way," the boy huffed.  

Chloe looked up and replied, "Well, there's no need to be a jerk about it."

The boy stared at her, shocked at the audacity of this tiny girl.  "Don't you know who I am?"

"I really could care less," she snorted.  "As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but a jerk."

Impressed, the boy smirked.  "Lex Luthor," he held out his hand.  "And I'm sorry."

"Chloe Sullivan," she smiled smugly as she took his hand.  "And apology accepted."

That was the beginning of their friendship.  They kept in touch constantly and secretly, especially after Lex introduced Chloe to the wonderful world of computers and electronic mail.  Almost every day, they expected a long entry from each other about how their day went.

As years passed, emails were not simply enough for the young Luthor.  He was having a hard time with his father and was missing his mother and even the traitor Pamela more and more severely.  Chloe was the only hope he had.

Which is why Lex managed to manipulate Lionel into sending him to Smallville when Lionel threatened to exile him.

Chloe was venting her Clark-related frustration on an editorial piece for the Torch when two hands covered her eyes.  "Guess who?" a voice spoke softly behind her.

A grin dominated half of her face upon realizing who the gentle intruder was.  She took his hands off her face and turned around.  Confirming that it was Lex, she jumped up and threw herself at him.  "What are you doing here?"

"Being a Luthor exile," he smirked, hugging her back.

"Oo-kay," she responded.  "Care to elaborate?"

"I got my father to exile me here," he declared proudly.

"What?" she practically screamed, almost pushing him away.  "What did you do?"  He looked at her knowingly, which generated a moan from her.  "Please don't tell me that it was Club Zero."

No confirmation was really needed, which made her plop herself into her seat.  "Lex.."

"No," he interjected.  "We're not going to argue about this.  Besides, aren't you happy to see me?"  He pulled her seat closer as he knelt in front of her.

"Of course, I am," she replied.  "I just wished that you were staying here for reasons other than for being self-destructive."

"Self-destructive?!?" Lex backed away.  "I did this for *you*."

"No, you did this to spite your father," she retorted.  "You never had to resort to that if you wanted to stay here.  And you know that."

He shook his head.  "Please, Miss Freud, please enlighten me as to what I really had planned in my exile to Cattledom," he hissed.

"Always the jerk," Chloe glared at him.  "You really want to know what I think?" 

Lex barely nodded when she continued.  "I think that you're a coward.  Using me as an excuse to be cast off by your father in the most ridiculous way possible.  If you wanted to be with me, you would have done it.  But no, you had to come out here with a bang."

"That's a cheap plot to get back at your father, Lex," she lashed out.  "If you really want to hit him where it hurts, I suggest that you start using your brain."

Lex stood speechless, infuriated by her candidness and his stupidity.  Afraid that he might do something to hurt her out of spite, he left without a word.

That was when he sped his way through town, thinking of ways to pretend to rectify this situation with his father and get himself back to Metropolis.  And when he finally broke away from his thoughts and saw Clark Kent, it was too late.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

_Disclaimer in Chapter One_

Chloe jerked up from her bed.  She was having a nightmare about Lex again.  It was about their argument that almost led to his death as well as Clark's.

She kept telling herself that it was okay:  Lex and Clark survived the accident.  And she and Lex made up when she rushed to the hospital that night.

It was then when he promised her that he will change.  He will take anger management classes.  He will be more controlled.  And most importantly, he will conquer his father and take LuthorCorp down in the way she wanted: using his brain.  

In turn, she pledged that she would help him, no matter when, where or how.

"So much for my promises," Chloe mumbled as she dropped back into her pillows.  

Four more days until her birthday, and her family and friends were more persistent than ever.  Last night, she was double-teamed by her father and Lana to have a party.  She agreed, only because she was too weak to protest.  

Putting the pending torture of mind, she pondered whether or not to get up.  It was only 5 in the morning after all.

She laughed to herself.  If someone close to her only knew that she was up and awake this early in the morning.

'They'd think hell had frozen over," a voice in her head whispered.  She closed her eyes and was immediately brought back to the land of sleep.

"They'd think hell had frozen over," the voice whispered again.  Chloe belted out a laugh, practically catching the attention of everyone in the Talon.  

"Oh, please," she replied, barely caring about anyone else.  "Then people in Smallville need to grow up.  They can't possibly think that Lana Lang could be THAT perfect."

Lex flashed her his trademark smirk.  "I don't know," he said.  "She has probably had them all brainwashed with her meteor rock-induced powers."

Chloe snickered.  "Yes, because that's just the kind of power Lana needs.  More influence over the people in this little town."

"Who has influence over Smallville?" Clark interrupted.

"No one, Clark," Lex immediately responded.  "At least, not yet." He winked at Chloe.

Chloe rolled her eyes.  "Clark, Mr. Luthor and I were just discussing mind control."

"Oh, Miss Sullivan," Lex tsked jokingly.  "Mind control?  There is no such thing."

Clark just looked at the two of them blankly.  He had learned from experience that their plane of thought completely exists on a different level than his.

"Okay" was all he could muster.

On the other hand, the two had moved on without him.  "No such thing, Luthor.  I can hardly believe that you, of all people, would not believe in the possibility that someone could be overly intoxicated by another to lend them the sole control of their fate."

"Ha!" he snorted.  "Please, Miss Sullivan.  I, *of all people*, am fairly aware of the mutating capabilities of the meteor rocks, but placing freaks of nature aside, mind control is a figment of one's imagination.  An excuse, if you will, for mindless fools who would claim that they did it for love."

"Somehow, I am inclined to believe that either you have had experience in being the said mindless fool or that you just described a harbinger of your destiny," Chloe jabbed.

"Touché." Lex grinned, taking a moment to state at his watch.  Realizing what time it is, he continued,  "As much as I am enjoying this conversation, I better get going."

"Me, too," Chloe agreed, standing from her seat.  

"Do you need a ride?"

"If I'm not imposing."

Lex smiled.  "Never."

"Bye, Clark," they said as they made their way to the door, leaving a rather lost farmboy in their wake.

"I'll never understand those two."

The ride was fairly quiet until they were well in the outskirts of what was considered as downtown Smallville.  "This isn't the way to my house, Mr. Luthor," Chloe teased.

"I am aware of that, Chloe."

"Tell me, Lex, is senility the first sign that you are becoming a mindless fool who will claim that they lost their minds for love?"  Immediately after the words left her mouth, Lex pulled over, walked out and over to her side of the car and pulled her out.  Trapping her between himself and the Porsche, he breathed out, "Chloe, I am already a mindless fool who has lost it for love."

Chloe looked up into his eyes, a smirk growing on her face, as she pulled on his collar, pulling him closer to her and slamming her lips into his.  Lips and tongues danced, teasing and urging, until both of them emerged for air.  "Good to know," she panted as she drew him to her once more.

Later that night, they sat comfortably on Lex's couch, Chloe leaning against him as he read the papers she gave him.

"This is amazing," he complimented.  "How did you.."

"A friend," she interjected.  "He found out about your father's transactions during a routine hacking into the bank's mainframe.  Apparently, your father has been paying someone a hefty amount to do something."

"Did you ever find out who or what?"

"I'm trying," she admitted.  "Derek has traced the money to Smallville, so my guess is that someone in town is on your father's payroll."

"That could be anyone," Lex pointed out.

"Anyone that could be close to you," she added with concern written all over her face.  Lex nodded.

"Please, Lex, tell me that you will be careful," she urged, squeezing his hand.

"I know, Chloe," he assured her as he planted a kiss on her forehead.  "I would advise you to do likewise."

"I know," she sighed.  She closed her eyes for what seemed like eternity when Lex started shaking her softly.  "Chloe, wake up.."

Chloe groggily opened her eyes and mumbled, "Yeah?"

Lana shook her gently again.  "Chloe, wake up."

"Lana?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry to wake you up, but Mr.Luthor called.  Said that it was an emergency."

"Lex?"

Lana furrowed her eyebrows.  "No, Chloe, Lionel Luthor."

Chloe's eyes flew open, realizing her slip.  "Oh.  I guess I'm not that awake," she half-laughed.

"Okay," Lana accepted, answering with a sympathetic grin.  "Get dressed and I'll get you some coffee."

Chloe managed to return with a smile.  "Thanks."

Before Lana could leave the room, she was stopped.  "Did he mention what it was about?"

"Something about Lex," she shrugged right before she proceeded to make her exit.

That was incentive enough to get Chloe rushing out of bed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N:  autumngold and Jewel, thanks for the feedback.  Especially you, Jewel.  I can honestly say that there are no hard feelings about the great feedback you've given.  Let's just say that some people can't spell, some people can't get pronouns right, and I can't conjugate correctly.  But I do realize the importance of checking myself, so I'll make this a priority in the coming chapters.

By the way, Chloe is 16 in this world.  I figured the least I can do is make her legal.  And yes, Lex is 21.

Thanks again for the wonderful reviews, and I'm glad that you're enjoying my first shot at a full-length Smallville fanfic.

CHAPTER FIVE

_Disclaimer in Chapter One_

Derek Abernathy was a certified genius.  A member of MENSA since he was 10, he found himself being able to crack codes and databases in seconds that he made a living and a cause out of it.  Derek was a professional hacker.

Part of his pro-bono work was to do "questionable" research for his best friend when she was on these investigative report assignments.  Today, his mission did not come from the orders of one Chloe Sullivan.  Derek was doing an independent project at his own creation and direction:  He was determined to find out what really happened to Lex Luthor.

Yes, he came to the funeral.  A conspiracy theorist at heart, the closed coffin just did not sit well with him.  Even after Lionel Luthor explained that Lex's remains met the sharp end of Mother Nature's wrath, that information did little to dissuade Derek from thinking that something was going on, and it was his goal to find out what.

It was the best present he could think of for Chloe.  Even if Lex was indeed dead, it would give Chloe (and Derek as well) some closure on the matter.

After all, he was the only other person who knew about them.  Chloe could barely hide her excitement when she would call him to do some digging on Lionel's latest projects based on information she picked up from Lex.  He knew that she was smitten, and in the brief conversations he shared with the young Luthor, he found that Lex, too, was in this as much as Chloe was.  He was the first-hand witness of that intense passion between the two when he worked with them.

"Derek, any developments on tracking the recipient of my father's money in Smallville?" Lex inquired through a web cam transmission.

"Actually, yes," he smugly replied.  "I managed to decipher some of the encrypted data from the person's profile.  It seems like our little traitor is a woman."

"Wait," Chloe piped in from the couch.  "A woman?  Did you get more information other than that?"

He shook his head.  "Not much that can be useful to you."

Concern growing, Chloe stepped up from her seat to Lex's side by the computer.  "What about the data on this cloning project?  Did you ever find out who the test subject was?"

"Actually," Derek replied happily.  "I found something better, Miss Sullivan."  

He turned to the monitor on his left as he typed in a code.  "It seems that not only is he a LuthorCorp test subject, he happens to be the scientist as well."  His work slowly produced a profile of one Ian Randall.

"Fuck," she muttered.  "I knew it."

"Isn't that?"

Chloe nodded her head before Lex could finish his sentence.  "Talk about a new spin to a Luthor scholarship," she sighed.  "I suspected something was wrong, so I took the bait.  I just thought he was an asshole trying to take the cake and eat it, too, by dating me and Lana.."

She and Lex looked at each other instantly, realizing that Lana could be in grave danger.  "We can't tell her the whole truth, Lex," she pointed out.

"Absolutely," he agreed.  "It'll only jeopardize her life..and the plan."

Chloe bit her lip, thoughts racking in her brain.  "So what do we do?"

Lex looked up at her, not very happy at the only solution he could think of.  "Pretend that you know nothing about the cloning.  As far as you know, he's just a cheating liar.  And we all know how much you hate those," he smiled.  

"Good call," she said softly, hating the fact that she would have to pretend to like someone when there was only one person occupying her heart.  "I have to go find her."

Before she could leave the room, Lex grabbed her arm, turning her around.  One look into her eyes transmitted enough of what he had to say.  "Be careful," he said for good measure.

Chloe smiled.  "Clark and Pete had a suspicion about this.  They'll have my back."

"Good," Lex nodded as his right hand moved up to cup her face.  "Just be careful, nonetheless."

When Chloe finally left the room, he turned back to the computer and smiled at Derek.  "So, tell me all you know about Dr. Helen Bryce."

Derek grinned back.  "Thought you'd never asked."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Disclaimer in Chapter One

Chloe stopped at the base of what was once LexCorp's Smallville headquarters.  It had only been five months since Lex had disappeared, and almost every symbol of his hard work into this plant had been erased.

"By his own father, no less," she sneered.  Finding enough resolve to face the older Luthor one more time, she entered the building and found her way to his office.

"Lionel," she greeted him casually as she walked into the room.  "You rang?"

"Ah, Chloe, prompt as always," he slyly smiled. "I have news for you."

Chloe certainly hoped that it was good.  At least, for her plan.

When Lex pursued his wedding to Dr. Bryce, she thought that maybe after he came back from the honeymoon, she could reconcile with him again.  They would have been working all sides of the LuthorCorp inner circle.  But given the circumstances, that plan did not come into fruition. 

It would have been a hell of a plan.  They discovered that Helen was the secret employee on Lionel's payroll, and Derek knew this when he was giving that report that revealed Ian Randall to be the first test subject of the cloning project.  He and Lex decided to keep it from her for the time being while she worried about the Ian situation.

She was finally briefed when Lex asked her permission to align himself with Bryce under romantic pretenses.

"You don't have to ask my permission," she told him as they sat up in his bed.

"Yes," he replied, taking her hand.  "But your blessing would mean a lot."

"My blessing for you to woo another woman into your bed?" she asked, trying to toy him.  "That's just a little too weird for me, Lex."

Maintaining a serious look on his face, he held on to her hand and placed it over his heart.  "She'll never have me, Chloe.  I'm already taken."

She nodded.  "I know, Lex.  It's just…I was never good at sharing."  She flashed him a shy grin, earning a laugh.

"Oh, that I know already," he assured her.  "But I think that if we want to have an in, we.."

"Yes, Lex," she interrupted him.  "I was also there for the brainstorm, remember?"

An awkward silence followed with Lex still gripping her hand.  Chloe knew that while she was not completely comfortable with the idea of Helen being the Lex's public girlfriend, she was fully cognizant of the fact that he needed Chloe's support.

"She'll want proof of your loyalty," she pointed out.

Though it was not a declaration of her approval, it was as good as it got, and Lex accepted that.  "What would you suggest?"

"Misdirection," she replied.  "Let her, and indirectly your father, know that you barely have a clue about Clark's abilities.  We can set up some sort of obsession room downstairs that will have her intrigued for a while."

Lex grinned.  "Did I ever tell you that your manipulative side always turns me on?"

Chloe internally beamed at the memory that spurred a nightlong series of 'activities'.  Quickly pushing the thoughts into the back of her mind, she forced herself back to reality.

"So what news do you bring, Lionel?" she prodded.

The Luthor patriarch grinned as he moved his line of sight from her to behind her.  When she finally turned around to see what caught his attention, she lost sensation to every muscle in her body and nearly dropped her bag.

Almost nothing could come out of her mouth, except for a barely audible whisper.

"Lex."


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Disclaimer in Chapter One 

It had been thirty-seven hours since he had gotten any sleep.  A blackout here and there, but Derek had been chugging away on his computer.  Searching for that one glimmer of hope that would give him what he wanted.

Chloe was always the mastermind behind their missions.  And when Lex entered the inner circle, he shared that position with her. 

But Derek.  Derek was the sidekick.  'Call me Robin' he joked to himself, though at this point, he felt useless.  For days, he had gone over the clippings before and after Lex's supposed death, and he had tried to hack into the LuthorCorp mainframe to find some data that could possibly help him.

He had even checked in the deeper pockets where Chloe had indicated as possible hot spots for Lionel's secrets.  None so far.

Two more data chambers left to dig through.  "If nothing comes up, I'm officially screwed," he told himself.

A couple of taps on his keyboards combined with some clicks on his wireless mouse opened the first chamber.  While the jargon might be foreign to inexperienced eyes, Derek expertly read through the binary sequences of LuthorCorp files.

Invoices were all he could find.  Invoices of shipping transactions, payroll data..  

"Oh, hello," Derek greeted at the file well-embedded within these invoices.  Moving to the computer system to his right, he copied the data for safekeeping and ran his translator.

"Abernathy, you're a bleeding genius," he complimented himself as he realized that he just opened a memo from Lionel to some of his top henchmen that their search for Lex was to be extended past the funeral.

'He wanted confirmation of Lex's death.'

Derek nearly fell over as he rushed back to the system where the LuthorCorp mainframe waited for his next move.

He quickly typed in the code to enter the final chamber.  Quickly skimming through the files, he finally found the file he was looking for.

After he copied and translated the file into his system, he took a moment before opening the translated file.

Finally finding the guts to continue, he read the contents.  Normally an eloquent guy, he found that he couldn't say anything else other than "holy shit".

 "Holy shit, Lex," Derek practically yelled at him through the CB radio.  "Do something!"

"I can't!" he responded.  "Even if I wanted to, Chloe would kill me if I blow our cover."

"Yeah, that's something to be worried about," Derek retorted sarcastically.

"Shit!" Lex screamed.

"What?  What happened?" Chloe's best friend asked, his concern intensifying by the second.  "Lex?" he called out one more time before realizing that no one was on the other line.

Lex sprinted from his car parked at the other end of dam instantly after he saw Ian knocked Chloe to the ground.  She appeared unconscious right when he exited the car, and it was confirmed when the clone closest to her picked her up and threw her off the bridge.  

"No," Lex screamed.  "Chloe!"

"Chloe!" he screamed again as he jumped from his lying position.  Adrenaline pumping and heart beating furiously, he was trying to catch his breath after realizing that it was only a dream.

"Chloe," he uttered once more in a whisper as Lex Luthor fell back into his tropical bed of leaves.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Disclaimer in Chapter One

"Lex," she whispered again.  Lex Luthor was standing at the door of his father's office.  His former office.  Smirking at her like nothing significant had happened the past five months.

It took everything she could muster in stopping herself from running to him and hugging the life out of him.  Calming herself, she turned to the Luthor patriarch, producing a questioning look.

"Would you care to explain?" she said coolly.

Lionel's grin grew as he stood up and strolled over between his son and his right-hand woman.  "Chloe, our work..your work..has finally paid off," he started.

"This," he nodded toward Lex.  "Is the fruit of your labor, my dear.  My scion has returned, thanks to the wonders of science and technology."

Chloe frowned in confusion.  "I don't understand.."

Both Luthors smiled triumphantly.  "A feat not commonly achieved.  Let me un-stump you, Miss Sullivan."

Chloe shuddered at the innuendo Lionel's statement implied.  "I would like to meet my son Lex," Lionel continued.  "Formerly known as Ian Randall."

"Excuse me?" Chloe interjected.  The Lex clone walked over to her and attempted to mirror one of Lex's trademark smirks.  He failed miserably.  

"Hello, Chloe," he greeted as he held his hand out.

"Don't touch me," she gritted, backing away from him.

Lionel shook his head.  "You'll have to forgive Ian, Miss Sullivan.  He's under the deluded notion that looking like my son erases his past faults," he smiled at her before he turned to glare at the clone.

"Apology accepted," she muttered.  "So would you care to elaborate on how this came about?"

"Gladly," Lionel flirted.  "You see, Miss Sullivan, while your research have been significantly valuable to our goals, we cannot seem to infiltrate the walls that Clark Kent has built around himself to keep his secrets."

He walked back to his office chair and seated himself as he motioned for the other parties to do likewise.  

"I understand that concern, Lionel," Chloe said as she waited until Ian found his spot before she found the most distant seat possible and situated herself there.  "But how can you expect this 'Lex' to be more successful than you or me?"

Lionel snickered at her seating strategy.  "Well, Chloe, everyone has always thought that Lex is dead.  Your reports themselves have indicated that even Kent has come to terms with that, though he does blame himself for not being there to save his dear friend.  Whatever that means."

Then it dawned on Chloe.  "You want him," she sneered at her reference to the clone.  "To guilt Kent into confessing his secrets."

"Absolutely."

'You despicable man' Chloe thought as she forced herself to grin.  "A brilliant plan, Lionel.  Then I would suggest that you have him thoroughly briefed on Lex's history."

"Done and done," Lionel smugly claimed.  "I knew that you would see my way."

"Is there any other way?" she grinned.  'Especially a way out.'

That generated a laugh from the elder Luthor.  "Miss Sullivan, will you put together a briefing packet about Mr. Kent for Mr. Randall?"

"Right away," she responded as she stood to leave.  Not before glaring at Ian one more time, which caused the clone to wink at her.  

This did not sit well with Lionel.  "Mr. Randall," he stated.  "If you even dare to touch a hair on Miss Sullivan, let me remind you that clones are expendable."

The smug look was immediately replaced with a frown, causing Chloe to internally laugh.  "Thank you, Lionel," she practically choked out, disgusted that she had to resort to being grateful to the bastard.  "I'll have your briefing this afternoon, and by the way," she turned back to both men.  "I'd ask your press people to come up with an explanation for who is buried in that grave.  As you've said before, Lionel, cover your grounds."  Knowing that she had earned another notch of the man's trust, she then sashayed her way out.

When she was finally out of the surveillance distance from LuthorCorp, she grabbed her cell and dialed Derek's number.  She got his voicemail.  "Derek," she began.  "I need to talk to you.  I'll be there as soon as I can."  Hanging up, she sped her way down the road to Metropolis.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Disclaimers in Chapter One

Derek was frantic.  The information he just acquired had been unbelievable.  Pacing again and again from one side of the room to the other, he was trying to calm himself down and process the information, so he could use it against Lionel Luthor and perhaps prove whether or not Lex was dead.

Unfortunately, being awake for forty hours and consuming a year's supply of caffeine in one sitting did little for his nerves.

"You trying to build a trench in the middle of your apartment?" said a voice behind him.  Derek nearly had a heart attack from the surprise.  "Dammit, Chloe," he muttered.  "That was just ten years of my life that I'll never get back."

"Eh, you're a genius; you can invent the fountain of youth," she joked.

"Ha-ha, very funny," he mumbled.  

Chloe looked at him closely.  "You look like crap."

"Thank you, mother," he replied sarcastically.  "No sleep and lots of coffee can do that to my complexion."

She laughed.  "Then maybe you should get some beauty sleep," she suggested.

"Yeah, yeah," he shrugged off.  "What are you doing here?"

Chloe sighed as she landed herself into his couch.  "You would not believe what just happened to me today."

"Oh, trust me, with Smallville, I'll believe anything."

"Then how about a Lex Luthor cloned from an Ian Randall clone?" Chloe dared.

"Normally, I'd be freaked out," he retorted as he sat himself on his workstation and started opening files.  "But I got the warning on this one."  Having opened what he needed, he turned and motioned Chloe to come closer.

She walked up to the workstation and read through the files.  "Son of a bitch!" she lashed out.  "This could mean one thing."

Derek nodded.  "Lex might be alive," he confirmed.

"I'll need you to get someone in that area as soon as possible," she commanded.  "If I'm not wrong, those henchmen are most likely still out there.  My hunch is that Lionel won't quit until he finds proof that Lex is either dead or alive."

"Aye, aye, captain," he answered as he began to type away for arrangements per Chloe's orders.  Meanwhile, she moved on to recap what had happened at the office.

"So what are you going to do about Clark?" he asked once she finished.

"I don't know," Chloe exasperatingly replied.  "But I know that if Lex were here, he'd agree that we should protect Clark at all costs."

"You're right," he agreed.  Then an idea hit him.  "Maybe it's about time that we bring Clark into the fold."

She cast him a glare.  "That's not even funny.  He..uh.." she stammered, realizing that it could be their only hope. 

She intensified her glare.  "Alright," she reluctantly conceded.  "Go get your beauty sleep.  It'll take both of us on top of our game to be able to explain this whole operation to him."

"What will you do in the meantime?"

"Do my assignments for LuthorCorp," she rolled her eyes as she took over one of Derek's workstations.

Hours later, she finally finished the briefing packet and emailed it through her secure LuthorCorp account to Lionel's assistant, so she could put it together.  Finding herself exhausted too, she crashed on Derek's couch for a small nap.

"You're engaged!" she yelled in disbelief after Lex told her the news.  "How?  What?"  She cast him a desperate look, demanding him to explain.

"It was the only way I could get her to suspect that nothing is wrong," he explained in frustration.  "Derek has been tapping into transcripts that she has reported my cold demeanor to my father.  She thinks that I may not be in this for love!"

"The thought!" she mocked in anger.  "Maybe it's because you don't love her in the first place."

"Don't you think I know that?" he countered.  "This is why I must take it to the next level."

"A level that almost claimed your life earlier," she retaliated, referring to his marriage to Desiree Atkins.  Desiree was another LuthorCorp spy that was sent to kill Lex with her powers, but unfortunately, Lionel didn't take the possibility of her going rogue into account when she decided to take the mission into her own control.  Which eventually led to her capture.

Lex finally realized that it wasn't about the engagement that had Chloe in a fit.  She was concerned about his safety.  Drawing himself closer to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist.  "Helen is not going to hurt me," he assured her.  "Or you or anyone we care about."

She let out a sigh.  "Okay," she finally yielded.  "But you be careful."

He nodded.  Releasing her, he dug into his pocket for a small velvet box.  "She may have the advantage of being publicly acknowledged as my fiancée, but you will always have my heart," he told her.

With much hesitation, she took the box and slowly opened it.  A huge diamond set in a platinum band stared back at her.  "Lex," she whispered.  "I can't take this.  People will ask."

"Yes, you can," he protested gently.  "And no, they won't."  He pulled the ring from the box, revealing its attachment to a platinum chain.  He gestured questioningly to her as if to ask her permission to put it on, and she gave her consent when she turned around.

"Chloe, will you be mine?" he asked as he put on the necklace.

She turned back to face him, grasping the ring in one hand and cupping his face with the other.  "Forever," she breathed right before she locked her lips with his.

Drifting back to reality, Chloe woke up in Derek's apartment with her hand on her chest, assured that the main symbol of her eternal love for Lex was secure underneath.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Disclaimers in Chapter One

"If only people in Smallville could see me now," Lex said to himself as he propped the kebab of tropical fishes on the fire.  Five months of trying to survive on this remote island somewhere on the Atlantic had forced the young Luthor to be resourceful.

After two weeks of living on fruits and nuts, the billionaire decided that he just wasn't cut out to be a vegetarian, so he took his shot at fishing, excelling at the task after a week's time.

Five months had felt like an eternity on this island, so Lex had kept himself busy to stay sane.  Aside from learning how to fish, he had built a hut, grew vegetation near his makeshift home, and set up a water system from the nearby falls to the hut.  

'If Chloe could see how domestic I got,' he smiled at the memory of his beloved.  She always made fun of his cooking or his futile attempts at menial work, having to do them herself when he tried.  Her birthday was coming up soon, he remembered, as he glanced at the calendar he had made during one of those many moments of boredom.

"I wish I was there to celebrate it with her," he hoped, knowing that his reason was not just that he wanted to see her again, but that he wanted to apologize for being a jerk to her when he last saw her.

It was the day before the wedding, and Chloe had protested the event vehemently, stating that Lex had taken the plan too far.  She feared that Helen had other plans for Lex, and the last thing Chloe wanted was for them to be alone together during their 'honeymoon'.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Lex," she warned him, pacing back and forth in Derek's apartment.  "What if she had planned something?  You won't have anyone there to help you."

 "I'll have my transmitter," he informed her.  "At the first sign of trouble, I'll make sure to activate it, so Derek will be warned."

Chloe threw a doubtful look at him.  "That's not enough for me."

"Well, we have no other choice, Chloe," he reminded her.  

"Do not marry her, Lex," she asserted.  "Her allegiance does not lie with you."

And with that, she fueled an argument that led to an ultimatum, forcing him to choose between the beginning of her fake alliance with Lionel and the end of his romantic pretenses with Helen.

He bluffed on that ultimatum, hoping that when he came back from the pretend honeymoon, Helen would be trapped in blackmail and Lionel's reign would be over.  Then, he thought, he could make it up to Chloe.

Little did he know that his fiancée had other plans.  Plans that were unknown to him until he was boarding the plane.  Derek had given him a call on the secure line, warning him that Helen had been sent LuthorCorp-issued sedatives the night before.

When he sat with his new bride and she handed him a flute of champagne, suspicions rang in his head.  He pretended to drink and to fall under the sedative's spell, and he stealthily watched as Helen and the pilots, obviously Lionel's henchmen, parachuted themselves out of the aircraft.  Outnumbered by armed assailants, Lex had no other option but to play dead.

Once they were out of sight, he went to check the cockpit and the rest of the plane if it was really empty.  Once he got that confirmation, he quickly maneuvered the plane as best as he could remember from the days where he and his hoodlum friends would steal their parents' helicopters and take them for joyrides.

When he saw that the plane would crash as stably as it could on the ocean, Lex went for the inflatable raft, knowing that Helen and Lionel's men took the last of the parachutes with them.

After jumping off when the plane came closest to the water without crashing, he immediately set off the raft and sought refuge on it.  Three days after being adrift on the sea, he was washed ashore on this island.

Five months later, he was casually sitting by the fire and was about to enjoy his dinner.  Then he heard a click behind him, causing him to turn.  And he came face-to-face with the barrel of a shotgun.  At the other end, a bearded man, along with four of his friends, asked, "Lex Luthor?"

Lex nodded in response.  "I strongly suggest that you come with us," the bearded man continued.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N:  I just wanted to thank everyone who has left reviews.  Your input has been inspiring and helpful in moving me and this story along.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Disclaimers in Chapter One

"So you're telling me that you and Lex have been together all this time?" Clark asked, scratching his head.

Chloe threw her hands in the air, and Derek groaned in frustration.  "Yes, Clark," he replied.  "For the fifth time, Chloe and Lex have been together."

"Together, together?" Clark inquired, generating a small growl from Chloe.  

"Yes!" she lashed out.  "But that's not the point.  The point is that someone will be impersonating Lex to get to you."

"Yeah, about that," Clark piped in.  "So Lionel only thinks that I have superpowers, but you, Derek and Lex know already?"

"Duh," she rolled her eyes.  "Clark, you're not exactly the most subtle person in the planet.  Or in your case, the universe."

"Oh," he muttered as his face crimsoned.  "So what happens now?"

Chloe and Derek grinned at each other and then at Clark.  "Clark Kent, you're about to join us for one hell of a ride," Derek warned as he pulled Clark by his workstation to brief him.  

Meanwhile, Chloe sat herself on the couch, praying that this would work as half of her life's work, and Lex's as well, now rested on Clark's shoulders.

"So when did you realize that you were over Clark Kent?" Lex asked her once during a secret rendezvous outside Metropolis.

"Who said that I was over him?" Chloe teasingly replied.

He glared at her.  "Alright, alright," she conceded.  "I was just kidding."  She toyed with the edge of her napkin before she spoke again.

"I never really liked Clark," she admitted.  "I mean, I had a crush on him, but my pursuit of the elusive farmboy was more of a self-imposed challenge."

Surprised, he managed to compose himself for the sake of not making her any more uncomfortable at this confession than she already was.  He nodded for her to continue.  

Chloe took a deep breath.  "It was a challenge for me not to see if I could capture the attention of a guy my age, but to perish the useless hope that I could capture that of a guy my senior.  And of course, when Clark focused his energy on Lana, I felt even more challenged to compete for it, hoping that it would keep me distracted from thinking about you."  And with that admission, she held her breath.

"Chloe," he whispered as he reached to hold her hand from across the table.  "You had my attention when you were 8."

"I know that now, Lex," she said.  "I just didn't know that then, and I was too afraid to surrender myself to these feelings, given what they did to my dad when he gave everything up for my mom."

Lex clasped her hand lovingly.  "Are you still afraid?" he blurted out almost inaudibly, fearing what the answer might be.

"Not anymore," she said confidently as she placed her other hand over theirs and squeezed his hand gently.  "Not with you.  I love you, Lex."

"And I'm in love with you, Chloe," he responded with a sincere smile.

The memory of that admission fueled Chloe's hope.  "I'm still in love with you, Lex," she whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Disclaimers in Chapter One

"Good evening, this is the eleven o'clock MBC newsbreak.  We have just learned that Alexander Luthor, heir to the LuthorCorp throne, has been found alive on the coast of Isla Nubla, Costa Rica yesterday.  

Lionel Luthor, his father and the CEO of the multi-billion dollar corporation, has released a statement confirming the safety of his son.  In the same statement, Mr. Luthor has indicated that the corpse buried in his son's grave was exhumed, examined and found to be one of the pilots from the younger Luthor's plane.  

Lex Luthor was on his way to Brazil for a honeymoon with his then-new bride, Dr. Helen Bryce, when the plane mysteriously crashed five months ago.  Dr. Bryce and the other pilot have not yet been found.

Lex Luthor is expected to recover in the confines of his home in Smallville, and his father has made a strong request to the press for his son's privacy.

This is Candy Martin, reporting from Metropolis for MBC News."

A quick flick of the remote shut the television off as Ian sunk himself into the ridiculously comfortable couch in Lex's castle.  "I could definitely get used to this," he said to himself.

He continued to daydream about the future prestige and privileges that came as a Luthor heir when a knock on the door interrupted his reverie.  "What," he growled.

The butler entered with trepidation.  "Sir, Clark Kent is here to see you," he announced.

Ian's look of irritation switched to that of joy upon the opportunity.  'And I didn't have to go farmboy-hunting,' he thought proudly to himself.  "Let him in," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the butler obeyed as he made way for Clark and left hurriedly himself.

"Hey, Lex," Clark greeted.  "I'm sorry to barge in.."

"Not at all, Clark," Ian pretending to be Lex responded with a grin.  "Not at all.  So what brought you here?"

"Well," Clark started.  "I wanted to check if you were okay.  I know that's kinda stupid, given what you've been through.  I just thought that.."

"Clark," he interjected, surprised at how easy this could be.  "Don't tell me that you feel guilty about what happened."

"I can't help it, Lex," Clark replied.  "If I was there, maybe I could have done something."

Ian shook his head.  "Let bygones be bygones.  I have.  It's not like you have superpowers or anything," he baited, raising an eyebrow in anticipation that Clark would bite.

"Actually," Clark replied, seemingly oblivious of Ian's intentions.  "That's something I want to talk to you about."

"What about, Clark?" he prodded.

Clark shook his head.  "I'd rather that my parents and I tell you, Lex.  Besides, my mom said that it would be nice to see you again."

'Damn,' Ian cursed internally, trying to keep his disappointment hidden.  "Alright, Clark," he finally surrendered.

"How about dinner tomorrow night at my house?" Clark asked.

"Fine," Ian replied. 

"Great!  Well, I have to go.  I'll see you then, Lex."  With that, Clark left the room.

Ian frowned at the delay, but he shrugged it off.  "So what's another day?" he said to himself.  "After I get Kent's full story, Lionel can have him, and I can have my glory days for the rest of my life," he grinned evilly.

"Or should I say Lex's life?"


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Disclaimers in Chapter One

Lex devoured the stew as the four men stared at him.  After he polished his third bowl, he extended it to the man that had been dishing out the food earlier in request for more.  Completely shocked at the insatiable appetite of their captive, he scooped more stew into the bowl.

Five months of vegetation and fish intensified Lex's appetite for red meat.  When the cook began to serve it, Lex had to contain himself from tackling him and taking the pot for himself.  

Other than the weapons, his captors had been as gracious of hosts as they possibly could be.  'Lionel has certainly been upgrading his quality on minions,' Lex thought to himself.

Maybe his father had stopped investing in meteor-powered fiends.  If Smallville only knew that Lionel Luthor had really planned for the town to be the testing ground for his experimental monsters of mass destruction, their intense hatred for the man would be an understatement.

Lex shook his head at the abomination his father had become.  Since Lillian Luthor's death, Lionel was internally decaying.  The man underestimated his own passion for his beloved wife, and it ate at him while he internalized the grief and despair from her passing.

When Julian, Lex's brother and Lionel's favorite, passed soon after, it became the catalyst for the emergence of Lionel's destructive yen.  The reports about the meteor-induced mutations came around the same time as Julian's death, and it became the key for Lionel's vision to power.

Lex could do nothing but stand by and watch his father self-destruct.  Something from which Chloe wanted very much to protect him, especially when he started to reflect the behavior himself through his own juvenile actions.

Lionel was beyond repair, Chloe would say to him.  "But you have hope, Lex," she assured him.  "You have your mother's light in you."

And Lex believed that wholeheartedly.  Never would he be anything like his father.  Ever.

The bearded man came down from the deck.  When he saw Lex still eating, he gave out a loud laugh.  "Hungry, weren't we?"

Lex continued to inhale the food, and when he was done, he wiped his mouth with his wrist and addressed his captor.  "Who are you?" he asked, foregoing the subtlety.

"That's none of your business, Luthor," the bearded man replied.  "Besides, we're on shore now.  You're not my responsibility anymore."

"And whose exactly would it be?"

"Mine," said a voice behind the bearded man.  Lex strained to see who the owner of the voice was, sensing its familiarity.  And when the enormous man moved out of the way, Lex nearly dropped his bowl.

"Hello, Lex."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N:  Thanks to everyone who have read this story and who have left a feedback.  Your input has been more than you know.  The end is drawing near; it's under negotiations with my muse, which is why this chapter is short.  I still hope that you enjoy it, though.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
Disclaimers in Chapter One

Ian tapped on the door of the Kent farmhouse.  Smug, he grinned at the ease of this assignment Lionel had given him in exchange for his use of Lex's identity.  "Lionel mustn't have liked him so much," he laughed to himself as he made a final attempt to fix his suit.  "Lifestyles of the rich and notorious, here I come!"

Suddenly, the door swung open and Clark grabbed him by the throat and dragged him inside.  "Clark," Ian frantically shrieked as he tried to pull Clark's grip from his neck.  "What are you doing?  It's me, Lex!"

"Cut the crap, Ian," Clark sneered.  "I'm on to you."

"And you," he added.  "Will not hurt any of my friends ever again."

"Ha!" Ian guffawed as he continued to struggle.  "You think this ends with me?  I am only the branch, Kent!  You haven't even begun to eliminate the root."

"And who would that be, Randall?" Clark urged.  When Ian defied to remain silent, he squeezed his grip a little.  "I said, who is it, Ian."

"Lionel Luthor," Ian choked out.  Clark freed his hold, and Ian immediately fell to the floor.  

A quick dig into his pocket revealed a tiny metal box, which he opened quickly.  Meteor rocks filled the case and instantly radiated through the room, hitting Clark like a truck on speed.

He doubled over and fell on his knees as Ian walked close and hovered over him.  "Who's got the power now, Clark?"

Few hours later, Lionel sat patiently in his office, waiting for the arrival of good news.  Facing the window right behind the desk, he pondered about his coming reign over Metropolis and soon the world.

"Lionel," called a voice behind him.

He swung his seat around and grinned at his visitor.  "Ian," he greeted.  "My bearer of good news."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: It's almost done. The chapter after this will be the last. Thank you to everyone who has accompanied me in this journey. I'm glad you enjoyed my first full-length SV fanfic. Especially those who had given me feedback, you've been a driving force for myself and my muse. And speaking of the little sucker, I want to thank her, too, for sticking this out with me.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
 Disclaimers in Chapter One

Ian smirked as he walked into the room and placed himself comfortably across the Luthor patriarch.  "Oh, I have good news alright."

"Do tell."

"Actually," Ian interjected.  "If you could humor me for a second, Lionel."

Luthor raised an eyebrow in suspicion.  "I've always had a question I wanted to ask," his minion continued.  Lionel nodded for him to continue.

"Whatever happened to Helen Bryce?"

The Luthor patriarch smirked evilly.  "As I have told you before, Ian, paid help can be expendable."

When the young clone had nothing to say, he continued.  "I had her eliminated when she got to the rendezvous point.  Let's just say that I felt so much sympathy for my son that I gave him back his bride."

"May both of them fare well as fish food together."

Ian's expression immediately darkened, wiping any trace of his smirk off into a frown.  "Poor Dr. Bryce," he gritted.  "A shark eaten by sharks.  Ironic, isn't it, dad?"

Lionel's eyes grew wide.  "Dad?" he stammered as he froze upon realization of who his conversation partner was.

"Lex," he uttered as he slowly walked behind the desk to retrieve his hidden revolver.

"Uh uh uh," a voice sing-songed as he heard a gun cocked.  He turned his sight to the source of the sound and found Chloe, Clark and two other men standing at his door.  

A tall and enormous bearded man was aiming a shotgun at him.

"How..what." Still shocked, Lionel was unable to formulate words in his head, so Lex decided to humor him as he retrieved a black box from his pocket.

"The transmitter that Derek," he nodded towards the fourth man.  "Gave me as a safety precaution.  The signal was weak, which was why he couldn't find me until he intercepted coordinates of the area where your minions had been."

"He figured out the holes that weren't covered and sent his friend Rupert," Lex addressed the bearded man.  "To come and find me."

"When Chloe and Derek found out about your plans to blackmail Clark into working for you, they informed him of Ian."

"Miss Sullivan," Lionel sneered.  "To think that I trusted you."

Chloe snickered.  "Lionel, you, of all people, should know that trust could sometimes be faked.  You taught Lex your tricks," she said as she walked over to Lex's side.  "And he taught them to me.  Surprising that you didn't even recognize that you were a victim of your own folly."

The older Luthor glared at the lot, focused on Kent.  "He should have been dead by now," he pointed out angrily.  "Ian came prepared."

"Really, dad," Lex sighed.  "You yourself once said that life is a game of chess.  You always know your moves twenty steps ahead, so you can dictate who wins before the game even started."

"Did you really think," he continued his inquiry.  "That Clark would face Ian without knowing that your clone was aware of his weakness?"

There was no response.  "Tsk, tsk, tsk.  Dad, I'm very disappointed."

"No matter," the Luthor scion continued.  "You're going to pay for this, and you will pay dearly.  As of today, you will sign all of your shares over to me and turn yourself in.  If you refuse, there is always this taped confession from Ian.  Naming you as the main mastermind of this chaos."

Lionel stepped back as the others failed to realize that he was drawing closer to the hidden gun compartment.  "Never," he barked as he grabbed the revolver, aimed it instantly at his son, and made a grab for the trigger.  

A shot rang out in the room.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Disclaimers in Chapter One

"Good evening.  This is the five o'clock news.  It has been a year since LuthorCorp CEO Lionel Luthor was found dead in his office at the Smallville headquarters.  The main suspect, son Lex Luthor, still remains in police custody as the drawn-out court battle ensues.

The younger Luthor, who was to be in control of the multi-billion dollar corporation, has been detained in the Gotham Asylum soon after sources claimed that Luthor insisted that he was not the LuthorCorp scion, but Ian Randall, the former Smallville High student who died earlier that year near the River Dam.  Because of protected shares from his father, Lex Luthor was endowed a small portion of the corporation, estimated to be worth 3 billion dollars.  Insiders report that he has used that money for his defense and to resurrect the once fallen LexCorp, which is now being arraigned with numerous charges of money laundering and fraud.

LuthorCorp, now renamed to IsleCorp, continues to prosper under the leadership of CEO Gabriel Sullivan and a secret panel of shareholders.

This is Candy Martin, reporting from Metropolis for MBC News."

Gabe Sullivan smiled as he turned off the television.  Things had been looking up since Lionel's death, and he, for one, was ecstatic about it.  Well, almost.

Chloe and Lex went into hiding shortly after the shooting.  With their resources and the help of their friends and family in Metropolis and Smallville, they had managed to lay low until the construction of their home on Isla Nubla was completed.

Yes, Chloe and Lex moved to the island Lex once was kept captive by Mother Nature as a result of his father's malicious plans.  Gabe, Derek, Clark, Pete, Lana and even Rupert visited once in a while, but they were also wary that someone could trail them and find out that the crazy, notorious Lex Luthor was exactly who he claimed he was.

Pete and Lana found out eventually, only because Chloe wanted to protect them from Ian and because she thought that they deserved to know the truth about Lex.  Pete was furious at first, and Lana could not believe it, but eventually, both came to terms with reality.  After all, if Chloe was happy, then they would be happy for her as well.

Derek still remained at Chloe and Lex's beck and call, but he also became a strong resource for Clark when he was on his missions to fight Ian's wrongdoings.

As for dear old Rupert, Lex bought him a new shotgun in exchange for the plant they left by Ian to frame him for Lionel's death.  He wasn't too happy about it, but he guessed that after holding Lex captive during what was supposed to be a rescue mission, they would be even.

And Clark.  Well, he indulged his hero fantasies.  Even though he and Lex were even after Lex had his back during his confrontation with Ian, Clark still dreamt of carrying the world's burden on his shoulders.  One night, Lex jokingly suggested that he ought to call himself Superman and be Metropolis' ultimate superhero.  Clark took him seriously.  To this day, he still flew around wearing the bright blue and red, saving the city from the ploys of Ian Randall, or as the world knew him, Lex Luthor.

Gabe was content with how his life turned out.  He was even happier about his daughter's.  After all, when her birthday came along, she finally got what she really wanted: Lex came back to her.

Speaking of birthdays, he thought that it was just about time for that call.  He smiled as he dialed the familiar numbers.  "Hi, honey," he said.  "Happy birthday!  How are you and Lex?"

THE END


End file.
